Interchangeable grain thresher and huller.



W. N. RMBLY & W. C. ROBBY. INTBRCHANGEABLE GRAIN THRBSHBRAND HULLER. APPLICATION FILED Nov. zo, 1913.

1,126,288. Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

ruflv rNE NDRRIS PETERS COA. PHOTO-LITHD.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

'WILLIAM N. RUMELY .AND WILLIAM C. BOBBY, OF SYCAMORE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO ILLINOIS TIIRESI-IER COMPANY, OF SYCAIVIORE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

INTERCHANGEABLE GRAIN THRESHER AND -IULLER.

Application led November 20, 1913.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, WILLIAM N. RUMELY, a citizen of the United States, residing in Sycamore, in the county of Dekalb and State of Illinois, and WILLIAM C. BOBBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sycamore, in the county of Dekalb and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Interchangeable Grain rIhreshers and Hullers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in interchangeable grain thresher and hullers.

One object of the invention is to provide a grain thresher or separator which may be readily changed and adapted for hulling clover, alfalfa and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a thresher or separator of large capacity and so arranged that all the chaff and grain therewith which falls from the straw rack shall be returned to the forward end of the chaffer and compelled to traverse the entire length thereof to thereby insure the entire separation of the grain.

Another object of the invention is to so arrange the return lioors that the chaff and grain mingled therewith shall be thoroughly separated and loosened each time before it is acted upon by the chalfers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a removable section in the return floor which is used to conduct clover and alfalfa to the hulling mechanism, said removable section being so located that when taken out, the material is not fed to the hulling mechanism.

rIhe invention furthermore consists in the improvements in the parts and devices and in the novel combinations of the parts and devices as herein shown, described or claimed.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one form of apparatus embodying our improvements. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view showing the arrangement of adjustable chaffer and Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the removable Hoor section.

In said drawing the frame of the machine is designated generally by the refer Specicaton of Letters Patent.

rammed Janes, reis.

Serial No. 892,020.

ence 10 and mounted thereon at the forward end is a cylinder 11, concave 12 and elevating rake 13 all of which may be of any well known construction familiar to those skilled in the art. Above the elevating rake 13 are placed two rotatable wing beaters, 111-, 14, separated by a partition 15 having a fall board 16 pivoted thereto. A similar partition and fall board is placed above the uppermost beater 14.

The elevating rake 13 throws the straw, chafil and intermingled grain on to a reciprocating straw rack 17 which extends substantially to the rear end of the machine. Beneath the straw rack 17 and substantially coextensive therewith is a retuin floor 18 which is adapted to return the chaff and grain intermingled therewith which falls through the straw rack, to the forward end of the machine and to throw it down on to the chaffer 19, the latter having a downwardly inclined floor portion 2O which eX- tends forwardly beneath the concave 12 and the elevating rake 13 and between the threshing cylinder and hulling mechanism hereinafter described. To the rear of the floor portion 20, and beneath the return floor 18, the chaffer 19 is provided with an adjustable chaEer-section 21, described more in detail hereinafter.

Beneath the chaffer 19 is a second return iioor 22, the forward end of which is located directly above the rasp cylinder 23 coperable with a huller concave 2-1 which together constitute the hulling mechanism. shield 25 is provided to properly guide and deect the clover and alfalfa from the return floor 22 to the hulling mechanism. Beneath the return Hoor 22 is another chaffer 26 having a solid floor portion 27 extending to the hulling mechanism and adapted to receive the material therefrom, said cliaer having an adjustable chaifer portion 28 similar to the portion 21 of the chafl'er 19. Below the Chaffer 26 is a third adjustable chai-'fer 29 and beneath the latter is a cleaning shoe 30 and sieve 31. A. fan 32 of usual construction is employed and the grain is collected by the main auger 33 and the tailings are carried by the tailing auger 34.

Each adjustable chaffer preferably comprises a plurality of pivoted slats 35 all pivotally connected to an adjusting rod 36 held in position by bolt and nuts 37, 38, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2.

As shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and also in Fig. 3, the return floor 22 is provided with a removable floor section 39 held in place by any suitable means such as a pivoted cross bar 4:0 and brackets a1 secured to the underside of the main portion of the return floor. Just forward of the opening in the return iioor 22 that receives the removable floor section 39, and below the return floor, is a pivoted fall board 42, the function of which is to prevent the grain and chaff which falls through the opening in the floor 22, when the machine is being used for threshing grain, from getting into the hulling mechanism. Then the machine is being used for hulling purposes this board will be moved or removed to avoid interfering with the material coming from the hulling mechanism. A Xed deflector plate 4:8 is also provided to insure the clover and alfalfa being deposited on the chaifer 26 as they come from the hulling mechanism.

When the machine is being used for separating grain, the iioor section 39 will be taken out and the grain as it comes from the chaffer 19 will be thrown forward by the return iioor 22 and dropped through the opening therein on to the chaifer 26, whereupon it will be thrown to the rear of the machine and separated by the chaffer and screens in the usual manner.

When the machine is to be used for hulling clover and alfalfa, the floor section 39 will be secured in place, and the rasp cylinder 23 connected by suitable driving mechanism with the source of power (not shown) so that the clover and alfalfa, as they fall through the chaifer 19 on to the return floor 22 will be fed by the latter to the hulling mechanism where the clover and alfalfa will be hulled and thrown on to the chaifer 26 and the material separated in the usual manner. The openings in the various chaders will be adjusted to accommodate the different materials being treated.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that we have provided a single apparatus which may be interchanged and adapted .for use either as a grain separator or as a huller, the change of parts and adjustments thereof being so few and simple that the same may be made, in actual practice, in a very few minutes.

By making the return floor 18 of the same length as the straw rack 17 or of such length as to return all the material which falls through the straw rack, to the chafferl) at a point in front of the openings therein, we insure a complete separating and loosening of the materials before being acted upon by the chaffer, and in this way the capacity of the apparatus is materially increased. The return iioor 22 is also constructed so that all the materials are dropped on the chaifer 26 at a point in front of the open portion thereof.

By inclining the forward end of the chaifer 19 where it passes between the threshing and hulling mechanism, we are enabled to keep the threshing cylinder low enough down to be easily accessible to the operator.

Although we have herein shown and described what we now consider the preferred embodiments of our improvement-s. yet it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the parts and arrangements thereof without departing from the spirit of the invention and all such changes and modifications are contemplated as come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

We claim l. An apparatus of the character described, having a straw rack, return Hoor, chaifer, return floor, chaifer and cleaning shoe arranged one below the other in the order named, said first named return floor being extended so as to prevent the material dropping from the straw rack directly on to the open portion of the first named chaffer, substantially as specified.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of threshing means, a straw-rack, a continuous return ioor beneath said straw-rack, and a cha'er below the return floor, said cha'er having its forward end extended beneath said threshing means to receive grain therefrom, substantially as specified.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of threshing means, a straw-rack, a chaffer below said strawrack and having its forward end extended beneath said threshing means, a return ioor below said chaffer and provided with an open section, and a second chafler below said return floor and adapted to have the materials dropped thereon by said return Hoor at a point in advance of the open section, substantially as specified.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination of threshing means, a straw-rack, a return floor beneath said straw-rack, a combined conveyer and chaffer beneath said return floor having a conveyer portion at its front end and a chaing portion rearwardly of said conveyer portion, said conveyer portion extending forwardly of the front end'of said return iioor to receive grain therefrom, substantially as specified.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination of threshing means, a straw-rack, a return floor beneath said straw-rack, a combined conveyer and chaffer beneath said return Hoor having a conveyer In witness whereof we hereby attach our 10 portion at its front end and a chailing porsignatures at Sycamore, Dekalb County, tion rearwardly of said conveyer portion, Illinois, this 31st day of October, 1913, in said conveyer portion extending forwardly the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

oiI the front end of said return floor to re- WILLIAM N. RUMELY.

oeiye grain therefrom, sieves beneath said WILLIAM C. BOBBY. ohaiiing portion, and means for delivering Witnesses:

grain from said ehaiiing portion to said P. B. MCINTYRE,

sieves, substantially as specified. GEORGE E. BUTTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

